Testing differential effects of periodicity and predictability in auditory rhythmic cueing of concurrent speech

Perceptual entrainment and temporal prediction aid speech perception in both quiet and noisy environments. Isochronous, periodic auditory rhythmic cues facilitate neural entrainment and temporal expectations which can benefit encoding and perception of target speech. However, most studies using isochronous cues confound periodicity with predictability....

No actionable change — findings are experimental and do not yet translate into clinical guidance for hearing rehabilitation or hearing aid programming.

Understanding how the brain uses rhythmic timing to separate speech from noise could eventually inform new signal-processing strategies in hearing aids and cochlear implants.

1. 01Study isolates the separate effects of periodicity vs. predictability in auditory rhythmic cues on speech-in-noise perception.
2. 02Perceptual entrainment (brain syncing to rhythmic input) and temporal prediction are examined as distinct mechanisms.
3. 03Findings have potential implications for designing hearing device signal-processing algorithms.
4. 04Experimental design allows causal inference about which rhythmic feature drives benefit.
5. 05Results are preliminary and not yet ready for clinical translation.

PMID

42294102

DOI

10.3389/fnhum.2026.1827738.

Journal

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Participants tested in a controlled auditory experiment (population details not specified in abstract)

Intervention

Auditory rhythmic cues varying in periodicity and predictability during concurrent speech perception

Comparator

Conditions differing in periodicity and/or predictability of rhythmic cues